Are the parents in Saudi Arabia aware of the cyberbullying issue and impacts on their primary school children?

Abstract

Introduction: Cyberbullying can have devastating effects on children and is one of the most serious mental health problems today. This research was undertaken to determine how parents in Saudi Arabia were aware of the cyberbullying issue among their primary school children. Methods: A quantitative study was conducted in Makkah City in Saudi Arabia on 82 mothers who have at least one primary school child using online questionnaire distributed via multiple social media and apps. This questionnaire had Likers and Yes/No questions regarding cyberbullying and its relation to schools, how it differs from traditional bullying, how parents can increase their awareness and knowledge of cyberbullying, and one open question on which platforms they believe cyberbullying occurs. The Google form was used to collect and analyse the data. Using pie charts, bar charts, and multiple tables, the data were presented as frequencies and percentages. Results: Most participants strongly agree (30.5%) and agree (30.5%) that cyberbullying is more harmful than bullying in schools. A half of the participants (50%) considered the video games as the most prevalent social media platform for cyberbullying followed by other platforms. Approximately 70.7% of parents strongly believe cyberbullying has a negative psychological impact on children, and 75.6% believe that the Internet should be monitored by parents. Cyberbullying should be addressed by schools in a proactive manner, according to 98.8% of the participants. Nearly all participants strongly agree (68.3%) and agree (30.5%) that parents should take proactive steps to prevent cyberbullying. There was strong agreement (76.8%) and agreement (23.2%) by the participants that more laws should be passed to prevent and punish cyberbullying. Conclusion: Cyberbullying is a concern for most parents, and most are aware their children may experience it, but very few have researched ways to prevent it. Educating children, placing laws, monitoring parents, and doing future research on cyberbullying and its impacts must be made a priority in Saudi Arabia.